Jimmy's Test Kitchen

...ROAST!  What'd you think I meant? huh?  =)

If you complain about not having enough time to cook a decent, tasty, hearty meal, then you should try pot roast in a slow cooker.  You can "set it and forget it!"

I bought myself a slow cooker on black Friday and just now decided to use it.  I've never used a slow cooker before.  This recipe is adapted from one that I discussed with a buddy over the internet.  He said he got a recipe from his mother.  So, I changed it to my liking.

Ingredients For Pot Roast:
3-4 lb of "Pot Roast" meat cut from the store (trimmed then cubed)
2 Cups Baby Carrots
2 Lbs Red New Potatoes Halved or Quartered depending on size
2 Stalks of Celery Cut into 1/4 inch peices
1 Large Onion cut however way you want. 
2 Cans of Campbell's Mushroom Soup
1 packet of Onion soup mix
1 Cup of red wine (Could have used the whole bottle)
4 Tbsp Flour
Water
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:  Rinse off the meat and place on the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place all the vegetables on top.  In a separate bowl mix the soup, onion soup mix red wine and flour.  whisk until smooth and  pour over the veggies.  If you do not have enough liquid, just top it off with water so all the veggies are topped off.    Cook on High for 6 hours.  Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste. Be careful not to burn your mouth!  I did.

Tips: 

If you like your gravy a little thicker, just scoop out some gravy into a pot add a flour slurry and heat up and put it back in.  You'll have delicious gravy

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Picture Courtesy of http://www.laissezfare.com

This just in!  Two for one special!  No Asian can resist!!

I had a cooking session with a friend and one of the dishes I made was this Potato Puree.  It is to die for, Very rich and buttery.  So tasty!  I had some left over so I decided to top the pot roast with it even though I had potatoes in the roast already. 




Ingredients for Yukon Gold Potato Puree:
3 Lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes Peeled and boiled
1 Cup Light Cream
4 Tbsp Butter
1 1/2 Cup Milk
Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:  Boil the potatoes till fork tender.   Add the butter, salt and pepper and mash with a masher.   Add the milk and the cream and begin to puree slowly  You want a cream of wheat consistency.  You can also use a blender or a food processor.  I have a magic motorboat wand. That I use to puree the potatoes.

Tips: 

If your potatoes are undercooked, just throw them in the microwave for a few minutes and it'll cook the rest of the way.

Remember not to shut the lid tight on a blender keep the top hole open and cover with a towel.  Pressure can build in a blender and it can explode on you when you handle hot liquids.

I garnished the pot roast with Dried Parsley Flakes and some Paprika for color.

Good cooking relies on your intuition and experience and personal taste.  If you like a certain flavor in your pot roast, go for it.  If you like a sweet gravy, I've heard people adding cola or sprite to their stews. 

Hope you try these out!  Happy Cooking!
-Jimmy

Picture from specialfoodrecipe.com

...Leg!!  For Christmas I cooked up a Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb.   I absolutely adore lamb.  The gaminess of lamb is refreshing when you're stuck eating chicken, beef, turkey or pork all the time.   It's a refreshing change especially for the holidays.

My two buddies Teshun and Jane would always cook lamb for me when I visited them for the holidays.   Cooking lamb this year made me miss the fellowship I would have with them they moved back to the east coast.  As I have said in the past, I like to keep my food simple.  You get good quality ingredients and you let the food shine.  Here is my recipe for rosemary-garlic roasted leg of lamb.



1 4-5 lb boneless leg of lamb
Chopped garlic
Sprigs of rosemary
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sorry I don't have exact measurement.  That's just how I cook

Directions:  Remove the leaves from the rosemary and make a mixture of olive oil, garlic and rosemary.   Put the leg of lamb in a zipper freezer storage bag and pour the oil mixture into the bag.  Make sure you keep the netting on.   Rub the leg vigorously to mix everything together and place the leg in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  Overnight would be best.  Take the roast out and rub it with salt and pepper to taste.    Preheat your oven to 325F and roast for 20mins/lb for medium rare. 

Remove the roast and check the internal temperature.  It should read 135 before you take it out (roasts will cook another 5 degrees after you take it out) and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before you cut into it.   If you do not let the roast rest, all the juices will fall out everywhere and you will just have a dry piece of meat.

I hope you like lamb as much as I do.  Pair with a delicious red wine of your liking.  I promise you won't regret it!

Stay Cooking!
-Jimmy